Conversing the kingdom: The Root of all Marriage

Epheshians 5:22-33

In this section Paul discusses the relationship of a husband and wife to one another in the marriage covenant. He does this by equating the relationship of husband and wife to that of Christ and his church. In fact he goes one step further than that and speaks of the profound mystery that the marriage covenant was designed and modelled after Christ's forthcoming union with the church. The union of Christ and his church is a union of one body, one flesh as the husband is to his wife. The church is in submission to Christ as a wife is in the marriage covenant to her husband. Christ loves the church as his own body, as the church is his own body, and gave himself wholly for her. So the husband in the marriage covenant is to love his body ( his wife, as they are one flesh) giving himself up wholly for his body, giving himself up wholly for his wife... Husbands this is a call to step up...

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Conversing the kingdom: One for All and All for One

Epheshians 4:1-6

Up to Ch 3 Paul is describing how the Gentiles are fellow heirs with the Jews, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
After painstaking detailing that the church of Jesus Christ does not distinguish between Jewish and Gentile believers Paul urges unity. Paul urges the Gentile believers to maintain a unity of Spirit in the bond of peace. This is not something we need to create through shear will power. This unity that already exists within the nature of the church we are called simply to maintain. This unity exists in the church because there is only one body in the church. Not a body here for the Jews and one over there for the Gentiles. Because there is only one Spirit, the Holy Spirit who indwells the church. Because the is only one hope and that is in Jesus for salvation. Because there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ to whom we are all to submit and obey. Because there is only one faith by which we can be saved. Because there is only one baptism into Christ as an external identification of the internal regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. Because there is only one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. This is the unity we are called to maintain...

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Conversing the Kingdom: Wanna be in my Gang?

Epheshians 2:11-22

In the old covenant, salvation was from the Jews. Salvation was only possible if you were a Jew. Part of the commonwealth of Israel. Under God's covenants of promise. But just because one was a Jew did not ensure salvation. As salvation is and always has been through faith.
Israel was set apart from other nations through the commandments and ordinances of the law and they were to be to other nations an example and gift, as the church is today. If a Gentile sought salvation they were required to become a Jew in order to obtain it. They would need to be circumcised and follow the law and then through faith obtain salvation.
When Jesus brought in the new covenant through his death, burial and resurrection he abolished or rendered powerless the commandments and ordinances of the law by both fulfilling them and removing believers from the laws condemnation!
As Gentiles we now have direct access to the Father through Jesus, no longer is salvation from the Jew but from the church of Jesus Christ. The church unlike the nation of Israel is made up only of believers saved through faith. Salvation is for all, the Jew and the Gentile and in Christ we are all one, united together!

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Conversing the Kingdom: The Chop vs the Dunk

Galations 5:3

Circumcision was a sign of the covenant God made with Abraham. It was a requirement of the law. As with the other laws, circumcision was a requirement on the path of justification through the law. This justification is unobtainable. Even Abraham was not justified because he was circumcised according to the law. Abraham was only justified because of his faith that one day the law would be fulfilled, on his behalf, just as we are justified believing that the law has been fulfilled on our behalf by Jesus.
Baptism, unlike circumcision, is not a means of justification but rather an identification with Christs' death and resurrection. Justification is through faith alone in Jesus. In response to the putting to death of our flesh and the newness of life in the spirit made possible through faith in Jesus we physically represent this through the process of baptism. What an amazing demonstration of the death and resurrection of Christ in our life...

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Conversing the Kingdom: Judge Me Not

Galations 3:12

People generally consider themselves good people. Judging themselves against some pre-determined level of conscience or relatively to other people."well I'm certainty better than that person!" Let us beware! If we live by the law we will also be condemned by the law. If we judge ourselves by our works, by our works we will be judged. Even if we just consider the imperfect law we set for ourselves to live by."Oh that person was horrible for talking behind so and so's back" then what do we catch ourselves doing the very next day... The same. Condemned from our very own mouths.
If we now consider the perfect law that God lays down we soon realise why deuteronomy 27:26 states that cursed are those under the law. We may claim goodness but the reality is quite the opposite. But there is hope. When Jesus died on the cross he took the curse from us if we only receive it through faith. However much we try, we cannot obtain salvation through goodness, we cannot obtain salvation through works. Before we were even born we were disqualified by our very nature... Jesus is our only hope for life...

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